With a start Frank sat up and looked about him.
What was the matter with him? His eyes felt heavy and his throat
was parched. In his ears, too, there was a wild ringing sound and
his limbs felt stiff and inert. Shouting to the others, who were
gazing about them in a bewildered sort of way, Frank described his
symptoms.
They all felt as badly as he did.
"I feel like I'd been boiled in the ship's boiler along with the
cook's dish-rags," announced Ben Stubbs.
Even old Sikaso shook his head mournfully and said that he didn't
feel at all well.
"I wonder how old man Barr feels?" said the irreverent Billy rubbing
his red-rimmed eyes.
The next minute there was a shout of astonishment from them all.
Mr. Barr's blankets were empty and he was nowhere to be seen about
the camp!
Forgetting their painful feelings in the shock of this discovery the
boys hastened to the river bank to see if by any chance he was down
at the steam launch.
The launch, too, was missing!
With a cry of rage Ben Stubbs shook his fist down the river.
"I see it all, boys," he exclaimed. "The old scallywag drugged
us--doped us--that's why we feel so badly and--"
"Howling bob-cats! I'll bet he's stolen a march on us and got away
with the ivory,"--this was Billy.
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